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Originally announced at D23: The Ultimate Fan Event, The Keepsake Sea is the upcoming expansion from Gameloft for Disney Dreamlight Valley. The latest trailer (released September 9, 2026) reveals so many exciting new features, characters, and potential story threads, but it also has fans abuzz with fresh speculations: Are we really only getting three characters? If there are more characters, who could they be? Isn’t there a Villain? Who could that Villain be? Why did they give us Megara in this expansion; how does that even make sense? Well, batten down yer hatches, mateys, and let’s embark on a journey to uncover hidden treasures and tidbits stowed in the hidden corners of the intARRRnet….
Are we really only getting three characters?
Unlike the recently introduced Adventure Pack, full Expansions for DDLV have typically included between 5 and 7 characters (note: Maximus, Khan, and Pegasus are more than just mounts; they’re characters!).
Yet, the trailer and key art only show us three characters for Keepsake Sea: Milo Thatch, Captain Jack Sparrow, and Megara. However, in an interview conducted just after the D23 DDLV panel, Gameloft Lead Narrative Designer Riley Wignall had this to say:
“So what you’ve seen right now is just one of three biomes that will be included in the new expansion, and biomes two and three will have their own aesthetic, which means their own furniture, their own unique look, and more characters to be unlocked beyond.” (Nerds of Color)
Two more characters, one in each of the remaining, yet-to-be-revealed biomes, would bring the total to five characters for Keepsake Sea.
Who could those other two characters be?
Assuming that one of them is the Villain of this expansion (we’ll address that topic in a moment), it would make sense that the other character would be someone who might be able to join us beneath the waves.
Most of the Valley Villagers out there speculating on the intARRRnet seem to be leaning towards truly aquatic characters, such as Dorey, Nemo, Flounder, or Sebastian as the most likely characters to fill this slot, but I would like to suggest someone else who is capable of surviving not only beneath the waves, but also above them: Pinocchio. Riley Wignall’s quote above suggests that the other two remaining characters might be closely tied, thematically-speaking, to the biomes from which they hail. What if one of those remaining biomes is inspired by one of the most famous islands in Disney history: Pleasure Island?
According to its synopsis at Steam, the main storyline of Keepsake Sea kicks off when:
A mysterious statue appears in the water with a simple message: An old friend is lost and stranded.
Given that Pinocchio just celebrated it’s 85th Anniversary as part of the Disney canon, that would make its namesake character an “old friend” indeed. Both Riley Wignall and Gameloft Creative Director Josh Labelle have focused heavily on explaining the theme of regaining childhood innocence which is a primary thread holding the entire storyline of Keepsake Sea together:
The player has to solve puzzles for the guardians to prove they have these childlike qualities still that really have become a touchstone for players in our games. It’s about being in touch with your inner child….
Pinocchio’s misadventure on Pleasure Island in the original Disney film is thematically about a loss of those childlike qualities. He goes to Pleasure Island and participates in all sorts of adult-oriented activities (drinking, smoking, gambling, etc.) in an attempt to seem cool to the other kids and, in the process, he develops the ears and tail of a jackass as symbols of the loss of his innocence. As can be seen in the video above, he still sports those ears and tail when he travels underwater in an attempt to find his father, Gepetto, who has been consumed by Monstro the Whale.
Introducing Pinocchio in this expansion would be a nice callback to the last expansion, Wishblossom Ranch. Most players don’t realize it, but the architecture and setting of the initial Wishing Alps entry area is clearly heavily inspired by Imagineer Tony Baxter’s painting, Tyrolean Fantasy, which was in turn inspired by Claude Coats’ legendary background art for Pinocchio.
In that expansion, we received Cruella de Vil just in time for the 65th Anniversary of the release of 101 Dalmatians in January 2026 (the film was released on January 25, 1961), so it would make sense to follow up with a celebration of Pinocchio on the heels of its 85th. Pinocchio’s inclusion in Keepsake Sea would also be a perfect fit for the expansion’s storyline as described thus far.
Isn’t there a Villain? Who could that Villain be?
If this flag in the trailer made you think “where have I seen that skull before?”, you weren’t the only one! It is incredibly distinctive; definitely not your average pirate’s skull and crossbones (also known as the “jolly roger”). Instead of crossbones, this skull sports two black x’s, located one to either side of the central skull.
It could well be that this particular stylized skull looks so familiar because it is virtually identical to the one emblazoned on the top hat of none other than Dr. Facilier, from The Princess and the Frog. The two black x’s on either side of the central skull could also suggest Dr. Facilier, given his penchant for Voodoo. In Voodoo (more properly known as Vodun and an actual real-world religion), such x’s are understood as gris gris marks: a black x, such as these, would be used as a protective mark to block negative energy. Effectively, it’s a way of saying “no”, spiritually. Think of it like the road signs you see that include a circle around the image of something, such as a dog, with a red slanted line drawn across that inner image. This flag could be Captain Jack Sparrow’s way of saying “No Facilier allowed” inside the fortress out of which we see him exit.
If you’re trying to figure how Dr. Facilier could possibly fit into the largely nautical themes of Keepsake Sea, it’s important to understand that the original Pirates of the Caribbean attraction opened at Disneyland within an area known as New Orleans Square. This expansion would be a great way to celebrate the 60 year anniversary of the opening of that original attraction, as it was the last attraction for which construction was envisioned and personally overseen by Walt Disney himself.
Why did they give us Megara in this expansion; how does that even make sense?
Honestly, after the inclusion of Rapunzel and Gaston in the jungles of Eternity Isle in the Rift in Time expansion, I’m having a hard time even understanding why people are asking this question, but I’ll have a go at answering it anyway. Megara does make sense for this expansion, and here’s why: she’s Greek! Greece has been a maritime/nautical culture for thousands of years. Most of our mermaid mythology actually comes from there (though by no mean all of it; my favorite mermaid myths are actually African in origin). The myth of Atlantis is also Greek in origin, with many believing that the modern isle of Santorini may have been the source of that legend.
I don’t know about y’all, but I’m looking extremely forward to living my best pirate-mermaid life in The Keepsake Sea. The possibility of sporting my very own shark-style mermaid’s tail (according to Joshua Labelle: “We’ve got ones that are more like shark style where they’re vertical positioning. And those ones have a different animation set, like how a shark moves.”) while decorating my own personal underwater kingdom has me counting the days til November, not to mention the ability to design my own pirate flag, crew my own pirate ship, decorate my own captain’s quarters, and all while learning some sea shanties along the way! Yo ho! I can hardly wait!
